No: 105, 21 May 2020, Press Release Regarding The Resolution Adopted By The Senate Of The Czech Republic On 20 May 2020

Republic Of Turkey Ministry Of Foreign Affairs 21.05.2020

Resolution of the Senate of the Czech Republic adopted on May 20 concerning the events of 1915 indicates that the twisted mentality built on the one sided baseless discourses which damaged the relations of the two countries in 2017 is still effective in the Czech Republic.

Adoption of the Resolution at a time when the whole world is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic with a few number of members in the Senate, also demonstrates the insidious mentality behind it.

It is not possible to attribute a meaning further than a historical controversy to the events of 1915, as ruled out by the European Court of Human Rights in the articles 173 and 231 of its decison in 2015 and as reiterated in a second decision in 2017. Attempts to define a historical issue in line with politics and the interest of certain circles cannot be accepted.

We hope those who are willing to approach history unilaterally, take into consideration the understanding of our President sharing the common sufferings in his letter to Armenian Patriarch of Turkey sent on 24 April 2020.

We call the Parliament of the Czech Republic to respect the provisions of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, international court decisions and the historical and present sources of international law.

This resolution, which we deem null and void, is nothing but futile attempts of those who are trying to rewrite history in the pursuit of their daily political interests.

We have noted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tomas Petricek’s statement that this resolution does not reflect the position of the government.